It's Different Now
by Ryoko-nee
Summary: Naruto and Hinata must run away from the village as a war begins, but is that the only reason? Time: Before Academy graduations. Some spoilers within coming chapters. -Story Paused-
1. Leaving

Title: It's Different Now Series: Naruto   
Disclaimer: All belongs to Kishimoto 'cept this spin off idea. 

Chichiue/Otousan - Father   
Hahaue/Okaasan - Mother   
Oniichan - Older brother (if it ends with -san, it's more honourific than being brotherly/sisterly)  
Oneechan - Older sister (above)  
Imouto - Little sister

Honourifics: -sama (very polite), -san (polite), - kun(usually for boys or tomgirlsish), -chan (usually for girls or to add cuteness or for teasing)

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"Hinata! Hurry! Leave now!"

"Chichiue? What's going on?"

"It doesn't matter, but you have to leave now! Follow okaasan out the village and get away from here as quickly as you can!"

Five-year-old Hinata looked confusedly at her father who was currently looking behind himself at her. He turned around and ran to her and held her by the shoulders.

"Hinata, you must leave. Konohagakure is not safe anymore. You must take Hanabi with you and leave now. Follow your okaasan out of here and keep close to the shadows. Do not, and I repeat, do NOT get caught. All right?"

"H-hai... Chichiue..." Still confused, Hinata took her little sister and strapped her to her own back. She saw her mother at the main gate looking very afraid and the fire that was surrounding her home. She did not understand that her village was under attack by the Thunder country and that the fire had spread throughout all of Konohagakure. She took one last look at her father, turned and headed towards her mother who was shouting at her to hurry up. She did hear before she was outside the gates, her father say, "I love you Hinata, you and Hanabi. Promise me you won't get caught."

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Hinata followed her mother as closely as she could but eventually the number of villagers that were trying to leave the village up to the ninjas blocked her sight. She could only remember her mother looking back at her once, but only out of reflex. Her mother never seemed to care much for her. She'd always be out having tea with friends or going to some sort of interest class with others her age. She was rarely at home taking care of her children, leaving it all up to Hiashi. When she was home, she didn't work, she asked only the typical question, "how was your day?" That was all. Anything more out of her mouth was not directed towards Hinata.

What happened next hurt Hinata the most. Her mother once more turned around but this time, she caught Hinata's eyes and they looked at each other for what seemed an eternity. The next moment, her mother sneered at her, wrinkling her pretty face and nose. Her mother turned right back around and Hinata would not see her mother again for a long time. What hurt was that she knew that her mother did not care for her. She saw both her children, and she left them. She didn't even bother waiting for them, she just wanted to go with the flow and into the safe zones as quickly as possible. Hinata didn't cry at all even though this hurt her a lot. The fact that her mother would abandon both children meant that she never cared.

In the present, lost in her thoughts, Hinata had run towards the shadows following her father's words, and ended up in the woods. She heard a yelp and turned towards it. A shocking ball of yellow hair was in her eyes and she had to step back a few steps. Looking carefully, she saw Naruto and eventually, he looked at her. It was for a short moment before he took her hand and started running with her deeper into the forest. A few seconds later, she heard something behind them but Naruto told her to keep quiet and to keep pushing forward.

She noticed that he looked visibly shaken and even when they stopped, she did not understand what was happening. Surrounding them were five drunken Konoha ninjas. She didn't understand how they could be drunk while the village was in flames, but that's another story.

The first one that spoke was obviously the leader. "Hey guysss, it'sh not onleh the shtupid fox, but the freaking Hyuuga that eshcaped from the Funder(Thunder) guysss. It's all a win/win shituation here!" A cry of agreements came from the rest. They were all steadily approaching the two in the centre.

"Hinata," whispered Naruto, "you see those two guys on our right?" Hinata nodded before Naruto continued, "I want you to run through that gap between them. They're drunk so they've left a lot of open space to escape from. Go through that and keep going. I'd suggest you to continue but try to find another group of villagers to leave with."

"But what about you Naruto-kun?"

"Heh, doesn't matter, just save yourself. I'll be fine. Just run as fast you can, don't stop, and definitely do NOT turn back, not even to look. Just keep going. I can't save you that much time."

"Save myself?" For Hinata was still not completely sure of what was happening. She was beginning to understand, but it wasn't until Naruto said something that struck fear in her heart.

"Yes, save yourself. If you don't, you'll be killed." He spoke with a seriousness that seemed so strange to her that she couldn't help but believe and begin to get nervous.

"Let's kill the damn Kyuubi once and for all and sell off the Hyuuga (they had yet to notice Hanabi) to the Thunder people." Another cry of agreements resounded. They were much closer now. By then, Hinata was terrified. She remembered everything that had happened when she was kidnapped, though she was unconcious for quite a bit of it. She returned her attention to Naruto when he started the count.

"On my count, 1..."

"2..."

"3! GO!"

Hinata sprinted between the two men as fast as she could. She decided against going back to find the villagers since she might cross paths again with others. She heard Naruto's yelps and the men cursing but remembered what Naruto told her and she never once looked back. Hanabi had begun crying, but Hinata wasn't sure of exactly what to do.

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Naruto wasn't fairing well against the five ninjas. Even though they were drunk, he still did exceptionally well at finding their weak points and openings in their defenses. He took many fists to his body and in the end, when they were about to deal the final blow, he blacked out. All he remembered was a huge sword-like thing swing around and kill all five men in one stroke, their heads flying from their bodies. He couldn't tell whether they had the time to scream or not.

Running for who knows how long (though it was only about seven minutes), Hinata noticed a black object shrouded not far in front of her, but it moved. It was a ninja! In her shock, she tripped over a tree root. Surprisingly, Hanabi didn't fall to the ground, but she kept crying. Hinata ignored it completely because she couldn't see anything but the eyes of the man that was walking towards her. She tried moving, but she couldn't move! She was frozen! The man said something and all she could recall were his red eyes and the quizzical design in the irises.

"Hana no yume no jutsu (Petal's Dream)."

Then all was dark.

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Blinking her eyes, Hinata turned over and found that her bed seemed different from before. It was definitely lumpy and somewhat uncomfortable. Her eyes slowly focussed on her surroundings and found that she was most definitely not in her room. This was one that resembled a cave even though it did have a dresser between two beds inside. On two sides, there was a door (one closer to a bed on the opposite end of the 'room' and one farthest away from both beds), and the ceiling was dome-shaped. Hinata looked down and saw her little sister sleeping soundly beside her as if nothing had ever happened.

She heard something stir behind her and looked over and found to her surprise and delight, Naruto! Except he seemed like he was having a nightmare and were those bruises on his forehead, left cheek, and bottom lip? His eyes slowly fluttered open.

Naruto was feeling sore all over. It had been a long time since someone had given him such a beating, and again, he wished a bit that he never had the fox inside him. Thinking over that, he took it back. Kyuubi for the longest while had been the only true friend to him, of course, he had to go through much mental anguish and anxiety for the bond to happen (it was through his sheer stubborness that they had become friends of sorts).

He could feel that the place he was in at the moment was not his tiny apartment in Konoha, but somewhere cold. He felt around with his hands and was pleased to find that whoever had taken him in had kindly bandaged him up as well. He pulled the covers up closer to him and opened his eyes. He saw none other than Hinata on the opposite end and he smiled. It hurt a lot since his lips had also torn, but he did nevertheless.

Before she could analyze any farther, the door on the far side opened to reveal two tall men in black trench coats and red clouds over it as a design. One looked like a shark (non-functioning gills included) with a huge sword on his back. Naruto recognized him immediately as the one who had saved him. Hinata on the other hand, recognized the other since she remembered his eyes.

"Welcome, Hyuuga heiress, Kyuubi vessel," said the red-eyed one.

"Yeah, you're lucky you're not dead right now heh. 'Course, I'm always hungry so-"

"Kisame, stop it you idiot."

Hinata looked upon Kisame in fear, for she could sense that they were both strong, and she tended to take things literally. She had no doubt that he'd eat her (she was convinced that it was because of the fish she had two days ago that wanted his revenge now). She held her sister close to her.

Naruto was in a semi-stare, semi-dumbfounded look. Of all people that saved him, why eat him now? Speaking of eating, still on his guard, he thought of ramen and couldn't help his stomach growling. He blushed and bowed his head to keep others from seeing his face.

"Ha, so Kyuubi-kun is hungry eh?"

"Oi Fish-face! I'm not Kyuubi-kun! It's U-zu-ma-ki Na-ru-to!" he shouted stressing each syllable.

"Fish-face? What!"

Hinata smiled, looking to Naruto to see that he was back to his usual self. He had seemed strange to her back in the forest, being all serious. It didn't seem to be in his nature. Then she paused, did she hear it right? Kyuubi? 'But isn't it dead?' she thought while still looking at Naruto who was having a death glare contest with Kisame. The only indication that Itachi was really irritated was that his entire body was more rigid than usual. Hinata was able to pick up on this and slowly began taking in big breaths to calm herself down so as to not be as afraid when or if he started to yell.

Itachi took a breath and elbowed Kisame in the stomach making him lose the contest, which was followed by Naruto's 'triumphant' speech, and that was all he could take. "WOULD YOU SHUT UP KYUUBI!"

Seeing an angry Uchiha was normal for Naruto, well, the Uchiha he knew tended to be more moody than anything else, but seeing Itachi get pissed, that was an entirely different matter. He shut up immediately.

Kisame knowing that Itachi was near family-massacre mode again put on a strict face and told them to stay put. They'd come back or another pair would come to give them food. If they moved from this room, they'd die. Simple as that. He left with a grin on his face and Itachi did nothing else but glare at Naruto. That was one memory Naruto never forgot.

Hinata was nervous already when she saw Itachi's body completely tensed, but now that they were both gone, she wasn't sure of how she felt. All she knew was that she had to protect Hanabi at all costs, and hope that when the duo returned, that they brought her a milk bottle as well.

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A few days had passed and the two youngsters were getting used to the routinely daily checkups from 'Shark Face and Statue Man' as Naruto had dubbed them since he still hadn't learned their names. It wasn't so bad, they weren't being tortured or being beaten to death or in any kind of dangerous situation. Hinata was starting to enjoy waiting for the two to come since it was then that Kisame and Naruto would get competitive between each other over the smallest things. Going into their sixth day in the cave room, only Itachi entered the room after the two had finished their lunch.

"Kyuubi-kun, you are to come with me."

Naruto looked up slightly annoyed at the fact that he was still being referred to as 'Kyuubi-kun'. "Why just me? What about Hinata-chan? You're not making me leave her alone are you? 'Cause I absolutely won't do that." Hinata was pleased when she heard this, but looked back at Itachi to hear him finish.

"Leader-san wants to see you. Hinata will come soon afterwards."

"Leader-san? Haha! What a cheesy name!"

Keeping a blank face on, Itachi repeated himself for Naruto to get up and he promised that no harm would come to Hinata and that they'd see each other soon enough. Itachi uncharacteristically sighed before forcing Naruto up and out the door.

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"So that is the vessel? A mere child?"

"Hai, Leader-san. It may not seem like it, but he does contain the Kyuubi and he may be useful later on."

Naruto was standing outside with Kisame but was not in the mood to do any competition at that moment. Actually, he was anxious about what was happening inside the room before him behind metal doors. He knew it had something to do with him, Kyuubi, and the Leader person Statue Man was talking about (here he snickered to himself causing Kisame to raise an eyebrow before returning to his alert standing position). The doors opened and Itachi motioned for them both to enter. Naruto feeling somewhat uneasy stuck a bit closer to Kisame though that didn't ease his queasiness the least.

They reached Itachi and Itachi looked up to 'Leader-san' and waited for instructions.

"So, child, you bear the Kyuubi within you. Interesting. Tell me, do you care about Konoha?"

Naruto felt like asking 'what? You actually need to ask me?', and so he did.

"What? You need to ask me that?" he shouted, abandoning all courtesy and politeness.

The leader remained staring at him and repeated, "Do you care about Konoha?"

"Why the heck are you asking me that? Of course I do! That's where I grew up and that's where my friends are!"

"Your homeland and your friends. What friends do you have?"

"I have friends, like... like... I-Iruka-sensei! And... uhm, Sandaime Hokage!" Naruto was confused, he couldn't really remember anyone except Umino Iruka, his caretaker that lasted for one month before he was offered a full-time job as a teacher at the ninja academy. Naruto had wanted to attend since he was four but was not permitted by the Council even with Sandaime on his side. Then there was Sandaime himself, he had cared for Naruto since forever according to Naruto. Other than those two, there really wasn't anyone else in Konoha that Naruto considered a friend.

"Two friends? Is that it? What of the village? Do you care for the villagers?" Naruto had to think hard on this one, and after an ackward silence and no answer, Leader-san pushed on with his questions. "You can't really care for them can you, they did nothing but their best to harm you. They've also tried killing you before Kisame saved you. How can you still love Konoha?"

"You said it yourself, I have two friends there and that's all I need! But if I do go back, I know that I can change the people!"

"Childish foolishness, to believe that everything can become good if you work hard at it. Listen to me Naruto-kun, no one there will love you. You are nothing but a burden to them. Even to your so-called friends."

"Then why would they have taken care of me?"

"Iruka-sensei must have pitied you. Undoubtedly he was hurt by the attack on the village by Kyuubi. His loved ones may have died in that war and it was no one else's fault but your own."

"But-!"

"Then there's Sandaime Hokage. What is your description of a Hokage?"

"Well... They have to be strong, recognized, and care for everyone in the village while trying to improve it."

"As you said, they must care for everyone in the village, you happened to be a villager. He too must care for you but only out of duty. No one cares for you personally, without any outside reason."

Naruto was continually becoming depressed by what Leader-san was saying, it was one trait that he hated about himself. He tended to listen to what others said and take it to heart, even if he didn't agree with it all the time. But as he continued to listen, he couldn't help but take into consideration everything he was hearing. He was a demon, combined with Kyuubi, and no one truly cared for him. Though he didn't want to, he let Leader-san finish his part.

"Naruto-kun (Naruto looked up), you will be treated as a family member here in the Akatsuki. No prejudice will fall upon you, and all nine of our members will care for you. We will train you in all areas of being a ninja, you will grow strong, and you will be respected amongst everyone. All you need to do is to accept my offer of you joining Akatsuki to become an apprentice of sorts."

Naruto continued to look at Leader-san with deadened eyes and only whispered, "I'll think about it."

Leader-san nodded and told him he had three days for him to consider the proposition. Itachi and Kisame then nudged his shoulders, one on each side, and escorted him out the doors.

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Hinata was not worried about Naruto as she busied herself with Hanabi. She thought back to the day she fled from Konoha not even a week ago. She was saddened by her thoughts because she missed her father having never been so far from home for so long. That, and she didn't have the chance to say goodbye to Neji either. He acted as a brother towards her since they were both young even if he was from the Branch Family.

Two hours had passed and she saw the door open expecting to see a gleeful Naruto to grin at her telling her exactly what had happened. Instead, she was shocked to see not his face when he entered, but the top of his head as he continued to look at the floor. His shuffles in his feet towards his bed led her to begin to worry, but being trained, she didn't blurt out any of her thoughts. She felt that it'd be better if she left him to his thoughts.

Looking towards the door, she saw Kisame and Itachi both looking stoic in the doorway before looking to her. A chill went up her spine (especially when Kisame turned to look at her, he had never looked so serious) and they both motioned for her to follow them.

She looked in Naruto's direction, but he had already curled up into a ball and covered himself in blankets. Gathering her sister into a bundle and strapping her onto her back, Hinata got up from her bed and followed the two young teens after having closed the door.

She too ended up in front of the double metal doors, but entered together with Itachi and Kisame instead of staying outside. Her nervousness continued to grow after the doors had shut but she felt a bit safer having one boy on each side of her. She heard a noise and in the process of looking up, her eyes were caught by Leader-san and were fixed on his eyes.  
It was dark, so it was strange being able to see his eyes but not the colour or anything much else.

"Hyuuga Hinata, the Hyuuga Heiress, correct?"

"H-hai, sir."

"Welcome to Akatsuki. Have you enjoyed your stay so far?"

Hinata found it strange that this man was speaking to her in a casual manner, but pushed this thought aside. "Hai, sir."

"Are you so automatic? Saying nothing else but 'hai, sir,'?"

"H-hai, si-... E-eto..." Hinata's nervousness came back at full force, pushing away all courage she had before, or whatever small bit she had before.

Leader-san was amused while watching the young heiress stutter but did not let it show other than through his eyes. This alone surprised not only Itachi and Kisame, but the seven others in the room that were hidden in the shadows. They had been watching from the moment Itachi stepped into the room and introduced Naruto to Leader-san.

"Do you care for Konoha, Hyuuga-san? And why?"

"H-hai, because my family lives there, a-and... my friends are there too."

"Right, there is a war that is going on now between Konoha and the Thunder country. Are you sure your family and friends are still there?

"Mmhmm, chichiue was fighting and Neji-niisan has to be in there somewhere. My friends and the rest of my family m-must be in the safe zones by now."

"Who do you care for exactly?"

Hinata knew the answer right away, but was unsure if this was some sort of trick question. She answered truthfully anyway, "To be honest, I don't really care for any of my family members except chichiue, Neji-niisan, and imouto."

"I see. And how old is your sister?"

"S-She's two years younger than me, so that would be... three years old."

"Hyuuga-san, would you consider joining the Akatsuki?"

Hinata looked up in confusion and Leader-san gently spoke his words. "You will be trained here by Akatsuki members whom you have already met three, Itachi-san, Kisame, and I. We will train you. The only thing is that you must give up Konoha."

"T-That's ridiculous! I can't do that!"

"Really? You must understand that there is a great possibility that your father may have perished and that something may have happened to your safe zones. What is there for you if you return? Your mother?" Hinata was infuriated when he mentioned her mother, but he continued. "Join us Hyuuga-san, Naruto-kun will be doing so very soon."

Hinata wondered if it was true about Naruto joining. If he was going to join, does that mean that he gave up on Konoha?

"You're not safe in Konoha either, Hyuuga-san. Remember, you yourself was saved by Itachi-san in the forest. Do you recall those five Konoha nins that were after you and wanted to hand you over to the country that you are at war with now?"

Hinata of course remembered them, all five drunken shinobi, but what she just realized now was that they were all from Konoha. She truly wasn't safe anywhere!

"If you join us Hyuuga-san, our nine members will train you and we may be able to help you with your Byakugan. If not, we'll do our best to help you develop a fighting style that suits your taste. You will be cared for, and best of all, you can stay here with Naruto-kun."

Hinata thought long and hard, but in the end, she too had the same answer as Naruto, "P-please, let me think about it." Again, Leader-san gave her three days as well.

This time, Kisame escorted her back to the cave room alone and when she entered, Naruto was still asleep and Hanabi was fast asleep on her back as well. Hinata gently placed her sister on the bed and curled up on her side with her sister facing her. She put one arm around Hanabi securing her closer to her chest, and Kisame closed the door quietly.

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"N-Naruto-kun..." Said boy turned over in his bed to look across at Hinata. She was feeding her sister (with the milk bottle provided earlier in the day) and it was the night before Decision Day. "Have you decided... a-about staying here with Akatsuki?"

Naruto turned right back around and didn't answer for a while. When Hinata thought that he had fallen asleep, he whispered, "Aa, I will stay. There's nothing for me back at Konoha. Nothing but pain. Besides," he added, "Shark Face and Statue Man are here. They've protected us before, but now they're gonna train us. You've seen how strong they were and who knows, Konoha might still be fighting for all I care."

Minutes passed before Naruto spoke again. "What about you, Hinata-chan?"

She looked up from her sister's face to Naruto's back and although she had the answer, she wasn't happy about it one hundred percent. "Same. But... I really don't want to give up Konoha completely yet either. I... I miss chichiue and Neji-niisan. So..." and she stopped.

Naruto wasn't completely satisfied, since he had given up on Konoha but Hinata obviously hadn't. She was far more closely attached to the village than he could ever be and he did envy that from her. But no matter, he was staying with the Akatsuki along with Reluctant Hinata, and he thought no more on the subject.

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	2. Acceptance

Title: It's Different Now   
Series: Naruto   
Disclaimer: All belongs to Kishimoto 'cept this spin off idea. 

Chichue/Otousan - Father   
Okaasan - Mother   
Oniisan - Older brother   
Oneesan - Older sister   
Imouto - Little sister   
Gomen nasai, gomen - sorry   
-sempai, -sensei - 'teacher' title given to those older than you

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The following morning was very formal. The two children woke (Hanabi remained sleeping), got ready and dressed and waited for Itachi and Kisame to come fetch them. Twenty minutes after having woken up, they were all in front of the metal doors again. Feeling anxious and a little bit worried, the doors opened and the two children went in first followed by the two teenagers.

They bowed before Leader-san to show respect then sat on two chairs that were offered to them. Naruto was the first one asked.

"Demon Kyuubi vessel, Uzumaki Naruto-kun, have you decided to join Akatsuki or return to Konohagakure?"

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, the vessel of the Kyuubi, have decided to remain here, as a part of Akatsuki; under the leadership of Leader-san and to become an apprentice of all nine shinobi in this organization."

Leader-san simply nodded and then looked over to Hinata. Hinata was doing her best to not show that she was afraid (and she was in awe of how in control Naruto looked).

"Hyuuga Heiress, Hyuuga Hinata, have you decided to join Akatsuki or return to Konahagakure?" He noted on her nervous composure and knew that if she was to join, she would not join with one hundred percent willingness. Though that, he thought, could change over the years.

"I, Hyuuga Hinata, previously known as the Hyuuga Heiress of Konohagakure (many raised their eyebrows) have also decided to remain here, as a part of Akatsuki; under the leadership of Leader-san and to become an apprentice of all nine shinobi that take part in this organization. As well, as I am the guardian of Hyuuga Hanabi, I permit her to stay in this organization if allowed. If Leader-san would accept, she could stay here and also grow to become a kunoichi under the apprenticeship of all nine shinobi."

Leader-san nodded his approval and at once, out of the shadows, seven other shinobi bearing black coats and red clouds appeared. Joined by Itachi and Kisame, all eight (Leader-san remained where he was) surrounded the three and peered into their eyes.

Naruto was steadfast and as solid as a rock. He did not waver as he looked up at each one (and he was fascinated the most by the plant-looking one). In the end, seven members nodded their approval, the last one was contemplative.

When Hinata was older, she recalled that this was the worst three minutes in her life. It felt like an eternity and it was as if everyone was trying to look into your soul or your innermost thoughts and pick out everything that makes you you. As each one came to look, the length of time that she could remain looking at their eyes shortened. By the time the eighth came, she could not lift her eyes to meet theirs. Two nodded their approval, the final six looked down on her and nothing else could be done. Leader-san had already accepted all three so there was no chance of bloodshed then and there. But accidents can happen, right?

Leader-san having seen that everyone was settled into their previous positions spoke once more before leaving. "All three newcomers, return here tomorrow morning. You will be introduced to all your instructors and begin your training."

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Back in their room, Hinata watched Hanabi as she played with loose pieces of cloth that she had found. Naruto from across the room looked hard at Hinata. She could sense him doing so and was becoming unnerved but then he got off his bed and came over to her side.

"Hinata-chan."

"H-Hai..."

"Damn it, at least look at me when we're talking!" he shouted at her.

Startled, she complied and noticed that he was looking at her with nothing but anger in his eyes. She flinched and insinctively looked down but was forced to look into his eyes again once he held both sides of her face with both hands.

"Do you know how angry I am at you?" Hinata couldn't speak at this point so Naruto continued. "You're always so... SO... I don't know! But do you not have any self-confidence? I saw you in that room looking down at your lap the entire time! The others are going to think you're weak Hinata! But you're not!"

"B-but-"

"But nothing! You're already having a hard time looking at me now! And we're friends so why?"

"YOU'RE SCARING ME, THAT'S WHY!"

Naruto let go of her when he heard her yell, it was the first time ever that he had ever heard her voice so clearly. Hinata realized what she had done and quickly went to apologize but was stopped when Naruto put up his hand. She looked at him and saw that he was back to normal, or as normal as a serious Naruto could be.

"Don't apologize, heh, I know I was being hard on you. Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to scare you Hinata-chan. I just... just want you to start to... stand up for yourself and not be so scared of everyone around you." Naruto looked down when he felt a tug and saw Hanabi looking up at him with scared eyes as well. "Heh, gomen Hanabi. I didn't want to scare you either."

He picked Hanabi up into his arms and spun her around for a short while before stopping. It was always a game that Hanabi liked to play with Naruto. She was back to her cheerful baby self soon.

Hinata looked upon the scene with a quiet and appreciative attention. She turned to see the time and found that it was a quarter to midnight and immediately she went to Hanabi to bring her to bed and Naruto climbed into his. The lights were out the next minute and all three went to sleep quickly.

"Arigatou Naruto-kun, for caring."

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Come morning time, all three were up and ready and they proceeded to the metal doors on their own. It opened on its own accord and they entered with Hinata feeling a bit more determined than the day before but still nervous nonetheless.

"Welcome, today you meet your instructors. They will introduce themselves and tell you what they will teach you. For Hyuuga Hanabi, she will simply be in the charge of one of the instructors while you work with the other Hinata-kun. The instructors will be working with you in pairs. Now pay attention."

Starting on the left, the eight from the previous day introduced themselves. Hinata and Naruto immediately knew who were the first two.

"I am Itachi and with me, you will be learning about genjutsu."

"Kisame, and you'll be learning chakra control with me."

"Deidara, un! Teaching you stuff like exploding art! Un!" (Naruto snickered before given the death glare and then he promptly shut up).

"Sasori, with me you will be able to grasp the basics of puppetry."

"I'm Zetsu and you'll learn how to become a cannibal and eat others. (Nani? - Naruto and gasps from Hinata) I'm toying with you. You will mainly learn about camouflaging and trap setting will also be taught."

"I am Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin (Hinata nearly fell over when she heard this and Naruto was becoming distracted by the fruit fly that was flying around his head). I will... (with a reluctant voice) train you in ninjutsu and seal jutsus." Both Hinata and Naruto felt uncomfortable around him. Hinata because he seemed very critical and strict, plus, he resembled a snake to her. For Naruto, he just felt weird since Orochimaru was looking at him weird and it was... just wrong.

"Heh, nice to see another kin around. I'm Hyuna Geshi, pleased to meet you, ex-Hyuuga Heiress. I'll be showing you the style my branch of the Hyuuga family has created, and for you Kyuubi-kun (It's NARUTO), I'll be helping you with your taijutsu."

"I am Euris. With me, you will learn the history of shinobi, current situations and how to apply techniques. I will be helping you with jutsu-creating when you are advanced enough. For now, I'll be teaching you history, and knowledge about the different countries around the world."

"I am known as Leader-san. I will train you in strategy and leadership."

Hinata and Naruto continued to look at all nine until everything registered in their minds. There was a lot to work on.

-------------------------------------------------

Two years had passed quickly and Hanabi had started basic training one year ago. She and Hinata were currently with Geshi-sempai and Euris-sempai. Both instructors were watching from the sidelines as Hinata and Hanabi practised several katas on their own. They were to face off against each other after their warm up and the loser had to fight Geshi afterwards.

Hinata was distracted while going through the motions. She was afraid of hurting Hanabi but she did not want to face Geshi-sempai in a match either, she knew he'd hurt her if she performed poorly.

Hanabi on the other hand was excited. She enjoyed sparring with her sister even if she was younger by two years. She knew she was improving and hoped that Hinata would acknowledge that fact soon. So here was her chance!

"Yosh, both of you should be ready by now. Let's see you fight, ne?"

"Hai, Geshi-sempai!" shouted both girls.

'Kyaaah, Geshi-sempai. That sounds so cool hehe.' Thought Geshi, then he returned his attention to the two girls that were waiting for his signal. Both stood in the familiar Hyuna fighting stances, and funnily enough, it was Hanabi on the offense and Hinata on the defense. 'Should be interesting... I've taught them and even though they're still not all that ready, they've improved a lot from when I first started teaching. Especially little Hanabi heh.' But one thing was irritating him.

"Alright you two, you know this is a spar and the loser deals with me. But man, in a battle, NO ONE waits for a signal to start. So start whenever! Who knows, you might even have a bit of an advantage if you go first." He smiled and sat back down wondering who'd initiate the attack.

--------

Being surrounded by Deidara and no other companion other than a puppet himself, Naruto was questioning himself once again as to why he joined Akatsuki in the first place. 'Seriously! I'm surrounded by crazy people! Sheesh...'

"Naruto-chaaaaaaaan, you've been with us for two years now, un! And I'd even say that you've improved quite a bit, un! Your taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu (still needing work) are really good for your age, un, probably above average actually. And yet..." his voice dropped down to a whisper, "you can't master the art of exploding art... Dei-chan is very disappointed in you."

By the time he looked up, he noticed that Naruto was looking at something over to his left and Sasori-danna had zoned out already. Feeling a bit irked at this, he created a small bird clay figure and it flew into Naruto's face.

Sasori looked over, "..."

BOOM!

"WHAT THE? WHAT WAS THAT FOR DEIDARA?"

"Ara? What happened Naruto-chan? Wait, don't tell me! You created an exploding art on your own, un!"

"NO! You just blew up one of your birds in my face!"

"Heh? You're joking! I didn't do anything at all now did I, Sasori-danna?" Deidara looked over to his partner but once again, Sasori was in some far away place on his own. "Sasori-dannaaaa..."

"Naruto-kun."

"Hai, Sasori-sempai?" ("Sempai? Why don't you ever use that title for me Naruto-chan?" "'cuz you're an idiot!")

"How have your lessons with Kisame been?"

Naruto thought back to his chakra control lessons and visibly flinched.

_His first attempt at tree climbing had been horrible. While Hinata finished it in less than ten minutes, he kept falling even after six hours. He finally achieved it at around midnight (they had started their training at four in the afternoon and they didn't take a dinner break) after some coaching from Hinata and body mutilation threats from Kisame. What made it more embarassing was when Hanabi came to train with them, she was able to walk to the top of the tree in less than eight minutes. Hinata was very impressed._

_Following this was of course the water challenge. Hinata finished after six minutes having remembered the lesson of tree climbing and Naruto finished after thirty minutes. Hanabi when she came, finished it in seven minutes. Other exercises followed these two and now all three were working on commanding their chakra to specific areas in a short amount of time. This would help a lot in ninjutsu when they didn't have time to wait for their chakra to concentrate to an area._

_The most likely reason for Naruto being chakra-control-challenged was because of his sharing chakra with Kyuubi. Hanabi did very well since she was very young and still small, making chakra easier to control at the outer extremities since they didn't need to travel as far. Hinata was simply blessed with the ability but she needed to work on her stamina and so did Hanabi._

"They've been... decent."

"So you've been doing poorly."

"No! I've finished all the exerci-"

"But you're the last one to get it."

"-ses... yeah... but it's not my fault! I'm sharing with Kyuubi and the seal's making the control all weird and-"

"Stop with the excuses, dobe-chan, un!"

Naruto fumed in his place while glaring daggers at 'Explosive Diarrhea Deidara-nii' who innocently laughed at Naruto's 'cute' face.

"Fine then Naruto-kun. I'll teach you the first basic level of puppetry."

Naruto turned to look at Sasori-sempai with full attention and was able to ignore Deidara for the rest of his training session.

----------------

Panting, Hanabi dropped onto all fours with Geshi-sempai towering above her and a kunai to the back of her neck. Hinata stood at the sidelines worried about Hanabi but knowing that the most harmful injuries she'd sustain were bruises and relatively shallow cuts.

"You have improved quite a bit Hanabi-chan, but being young , you're still not thinking rationally. You never rush into a fight without having some sort of plan. It was good that you attacked me first but you didn't think of all the possible moves I'd use to counterattack. That caught you off guard and from then on, no, when you first started, already you had lost the battle," said Geshi, "do you undestand?"

Too tired to answer, Hanabi simply nodded her head and collapsed to the ground looking over to her sister. Hinata seeing that the battle was over rushed to her sister's side but was suddenly at the mercy of the kunai at her throat. Behind her with her arms trapped was Geshi holding the kunai.

"Tsk tsk Hinata-chan, you should know better. I thought you planned out your actions but apparently you didn't." Seeing her confused look, he continued, "You rushed now to your sister's side, but the enemy, me, was still present. If this were a real battle, both you and your sister would have died. Understand?"

"H-Hai... Geshi-sempai..." Hinata learned her lesson and when Geshi-sempai let her go, she proceeded with caution (to Geshi's amusement) to Hanabi and tended to her wounds.

"Gomen, oneechan."

"Hm? Why do you say that imouto?"

"I lost."

Hinata smiled as she helped prop her sister up into a sitting position. "It's all right, I would have lost too against Geshi-sempai. He's much more experienced but you did really well today," touching her left arm where a large bruise formed, "Even when I was fighting against you..."

_Without warning, Hinata switched into an offensive stance and jumped forward trying to land a hit on Hanabi's arms. They hadn't learned yet that their chakra could cut through tendons and do serious damage. They'd only been taught to the point of being able to bruise the other. Hanabi was surprised but managed to steer clear of the hit and actually managed to land a hit on Hinata's unprotected side. They pulled away and Hinata returned into her defensive stance._

_'What's she doing?' thought Hanabi, 'She keeps switching! Maa, I'm getting so confused. Okay Hanabi, concentrate. You don't want to fight Geshi-sempai right?'_

_Hinata was thinking along the same lines while sizing up her sister and to spot any openings (which were obvious in Geshi's eyes but not hers nor her sister's). 'Tricks like that help in battle, but she's probably prepared for it by now. I can't believe she hit me though, but come on Hinata, keep going or else you'll have to fight Geshi-sempai.'_

_Hanabi thought she spotted an opening and went to attack it but Hinata parried and fell into one of her offensive katas she practised earlier. Hanabi recognized it and alternated from using offensive attacks and defensive blocks. She landed a total of seven hits before Hinata kicked her away in her abdomen knocking the wind out of her and she slouched over. Hinata worried for her sister but forced herself to continue on with her attacks._

_Hanabi recovered enough to save herself but then something strange happened. Hinata's stance completely changed and Hanabi found that she did not know what to expect of her sister. 'What the heck is she doing? I've never seen that style before but it looks familiar. It's not Naruto's attacks but what is she using?' Euris looked on intrigued by Hinata but Geshi was silently fuming, not at Hinata, but at the style of fighting she was using._

_Hinata had reverted back into the Hyuuga-styled fighting stances which was why Hanabi found it familiar. Hinata, being the ex-Hyuuga Heiress, had been taught for many days and hours for her age on the style of fighting by the Hyuugas. Some of the lessons resurfaced to her memory and she found that she knew quite a few of the moves still._

_Controlling the amount of chakra in her hands, she raced towards Hanabi aiming at her face but instead of hitting her, she paused a slight second before she hit Hanabi (who raised her arms to block her face) but changed her target and hit her right leg. Hanabi fell towards her right and using her arms on the floor as balance, she concentrated chakra into her feet and kicked Hinata in the chest but missed. While recovering, Hinata went in and bruised her elbows before kicking her on the right leg where she had hit before._

_Hanabi fell and could not get up and Hinata felt weak and slightly faint having all the adrenaline slowly fade away. She had used up quite a bit of her chakra and soon she fell to her knees and looked at her sister to see if she'd get up. She was mentally prepared but physically, she felt like she couldn't move for the next five years._

_Hanabi stayed down and felt like crying, 'Again! I lost to oneechan again.' After a short while clapping came from the sidelines and both looked over to see both senseis clapping. Euris-sempai looked pleased and Geshi-sempai looked irritated but pleased as well._

_"Good job Hinata, looks like you can take a rest until your next class. Hanabi, get up," said Geshi-sempai._

_"But, sempai, I'm so tired..."_

_SMACK_

_Geshi-sempai had hit Hanabi on the cheek really hard and it too almost made her want to start crying but she had learned that if she cried, the other Akatsuki members would come and hit her too. Being a crybaby simply wasn't accepted._

_"Gomen, sensei..."_

_"Now get up Hanabi, no lazying around. Besides, it's just a couple of bruises."_

_"Imouto, it's best for you to get up, do you need my help?"_

_"No! I'm... all right oneechan, I can," Hanabi said while slowly propping herself up on her elbows, "do it on my own. Oneechan doesn't always need to look out for me." She looked over to Hinata and when she smiled, Hinata did too._

"Really? You think I did well today?"

"Definitely! You landed eight hits on me and I barely hit you that many times."

"Yeah, but yours hurt more than mine."

Hinata smiled, "That's probably because I'm older and I've done this two years more than you."

"True, but your moves really surprised me. What did you do in the second half of the battle?"

"HINATA, HANABI, GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE. You're done with the healing treatment now get on going to Orochimaru and Zetsu."

Both girls got up, said goodbye to their two instructors, and headed off into the direction of the forest.

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A/N: And that's that for this chapter hehe. I'm having fun writing this one as well as "Come Back to Me" but this one's going to be harder than the other in some ways and the other has its own issues too. Hmm... who knows when the next chapter'll be up but hope this is fine for now!


	3. Worry

Title: It's Different Now   
Series: Naruto   
Disclaimer: All belongs to Kishimoto 'cept this spin off idea. 

Chichiue/Otousan - Father   
Hahaue/Okaasan - Mother   
Oniichan - Older brother (if it ends with -san, it's more honourific than being brotherly/sisterly)  
Oneechan - Older sister (above)  
Imouto - Little sister

Honourifics: -sama (very polite), -san (polite), - kun(usually for boys or tomgirlsish), -chan (usually for girls or to add cuteness or for teasing)

WARNING: May contain spoilers since I keep up with the manga. :D

-----------------------------------------

Naruto cut himself free from the rope trap he got caught in, but as soon as he landed, he became caught in a net trap.

"AUGH! What the H-"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!" came the joyous laugh of a female to his right. He turned to glare at her as she approached. "Good job Naru-chan, this is your what... seventh time getting caught in that same trap this month?"

"SHUT UP HANABI!"

"Eh? Naruto-kun, you're caught in that again?"

"Huh? Ah, Hinata! Ne ne, could you help me out -tebayo?"

Giggling, Hinata helped him out as did Hanabi (without jabbing a few more insults at him) and they managed to maneuver their way as a trio to the meeting area.

Orochimaru and Zetsu seemed impatient when they arrived. Actually, Orochimaru was seething in his seat but Zetsu was doing his best to not laugh out loud at Naruto since he actually did fall in that same double trap seven times that month.

"The three of you are late."

"Gomen nasai Orochimaru-sensei, Hanabi needed some tending to-"

"You think I care? No. I expect the three of you to be on time and since you're not, drop and give me 150."

The three stared bewildered at each other but eventually complied. Zetsu looked to Orochimaru but didn't question his word. He was still just a bit lower in rank to Orochimaru and he hated that fact.

Naruto finished first out of the three and when resting, he watched the two girls continue. '135, 136... maa, they've still got a few.' But when he chanced to look up at Orochimaru-sensei, he stared right into the reptilian eyes and immediately looked away. 'Why the crap is he STARING at me!? He's been doing that since I first joined two years ago. If I didn't know any better, actually, I don't know what to think about this situation at all!' He shivered and continued ignoring Orochimaru.

Soon the girls finished and the three stood in a line facing their two teachers.

Zetsu finally had the chance to laugh, "Haha! Oh Little Fox (NARUTO!!!!), you were always the slowest out of the three. Seven times, must be a record."

"Not funny Planty!" Zetsu's face pinched together slightly at his nickname.

He resumed, "Anyway, so you've all learned the basics to trap setting, how to set them, which ones are best to use in which circumstances, how to mark them and remember where they are, etc. That was all the basics. We'll go more into that later, for now, I want to start on the basics of camouflaging. Who can tell me what it is?"

Hanabi raised her hand. "Hana?"

"It's when you disguise yourself in such a manner so that your enemies don't see you and it's a good technique for spying, infiltration, and for surprise attacks."

"Quite correct, anything else any of you can add on to that?"

"You blend in with your environment which is how you hide from your enemies."

"Correct as well Hina, Fox?" (NARUTO-TEBAYO!)

"When you put on mud and makeup stuff and look really stupid while taping tree branches and stuff to you."

"Wrong!"

"What? No it's not! It's SO true!"

"Is not."

"Is too!"

"Is Not."

"IS TOO!"

Zetsu managed to stop before the argument reached any further. To say he was embarassed would be an understatement. He knew Orochimaru was going to tell someone about his behaviour today. Stupid Fox!

"All right, partially right, but it's a beginner's answer."

"I AM A BEGINNER PLANTY!"

It was going to be a long session for Zetsu.

------Orochimaru-------

Orochimaru finally had his session with the three. They had just finished practising their basic fire jutsus (they had to learn all five different basic element jutsus, one every half year. Last one they needed to get after fire was the wind element). Hinata and Hanabi were dead tired, lying on their backs on the grass and you could see their chests moving up and down rhythmically and somewhat rapidly.

It was near the end of their lesson before dinner time and Zetsu went to sit with the girls. They rolled over and let him sit between them as they concentrated on catching their breath.

"Hina."

"Hai, Zetsu-sensei?" she managed out in between breaths.

"I'd like to ask you for a favour."

This shocked both sisters. It was rare for anyone in Akatsuki to ask for favours, especially to any of the apprentices (though Kisame did once to Hanabi to make sure Naruto didn't eat everything he found in the kitchen). Hinata had calmed down and sat up, looking from Zetsu to Naruto. She nodded.

"I want you to tutor Naruto. He doesn't seem to understand much when it comes to camouflaging or trap-setting. Both you and Hanabi have excelled in this area than he has."

"Oh, sure. I can do that."

"Thank you."

Hinata and Hanabi looked at each other and smiled. Zetsu was one of the more calm teachers they had and that was one characteristic they were thankful for. Doing a simple favour like that for him was the least they could do (well, Hanabi decided to add herself in on the favour).

Just then a loud crack and a shout was heard. Zetsu's eyes narrowed.

Across from them lay Naruto on his side, on the ground after having obviously been thrown into the tree trunk. The crack sound was from the tree, the shout from Naruto. Walking towards Naruto was Orochimaru.

----minutes before----

As Hinata, Hanabi, and Zetsu spoke with each other, Naruto was a little ways away from them also trying to catch his breath after their lesson. Suddenly, Orochimaru was beside him, looking down at him.

"Naruto."

Naruto shivered as the reptile said his name, it was weird and in childish terms, freaky. Either way though, Reptile Man was still his teacher so he had to answer.

"Hai?"

"Spar. Now."

"What? We just did."

Then without warning, Orochimaru punched Naruto's gut. Or would have had he not rolled out of the way, out of instinct. What was Reptile Man thinking?

Naruto was soon on his feet and was sure that he wasn't sparring but fighting for his life. He ducked, dodged, punched, blocked, he did whatever he could to stay alive. 'Why isn't Zetsu-sensei saying anything? Or Hinata? Or Hanabi?' he thought in a panicked manner.

As he cautiously looked at his surroundings, the three were nowhere to be seen.

'Genjutsu? No... can't be, I can't sense it. But what's going on?'

It was then that Orochimaru landed a direct hit, grabbed hold of Naruto, and then flung him into the tree.

------present-------

"NARUTO!" exclaimed the two girls. Zetsu pulled them back down as they got up. As they looked at him questioningly, he ignored them and instead kept his eyes on Orochimaru while holding onto the girls' arms. He did not like what he saw in Orochimaru's eyes.

Orochimaru neared Naruto feeling slightly irritated at hearing the girls' yells in the background. No matter, today he would see it and feel its power.

Towering above Naruto, he smirked as he readied his fist. Then suddenly he was thrown back by a powerful gust of... was it wind?

He looked back and smirked, no. It was chakra. It finally showed itself.

Zetsu was not pleased and without anyone noticing, he gently loosened his hold on the girls' wrists, camouflaged himself and left the vicinity.

Hinata and Hanabi could do nothing but gape and stare, their warnings dying in their throats.

Before them stood a person that resembled Naruto but most definitely was not him. It stood up, red streaks appearing in the blond shock of hair, and when it looked up, Orochimaru became excited as the girls feared for their lives. Its eyes were red.

The whisker marks had become more prominent and as the being snarled at Orochimaru, no one could have missed the fangs that poked out slightly over the lower lip. It straightened itself up, one tail of red chakra behind it, and it looked directly at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru smirked and stood up. He could feel Kyuubi's power and his desire grew.

One snarl and Kyuubi was suddenly before Orochimaru, swiping at his face and managing to claw away quite a bit of the skin. The reptilious man could not hide his surprise and held his face with both hands, blood dripping between the fingers, while running away from the beast at the same time.

It seemed like nothing could stop Kyuubi once it manifested itself. It did not speak but it was animalistic, wanting to kill the one that had harmed its vessel. Kyuubi didn't stop running after Orochimaru.

'Think quick,' thought Orochimaru, 'what could bring Kyuubi down? Or what could distract it?'

A few seconds passed.

'Perfect.'

He ran back through the foliage, zigzagging here and there trying to slow Kyuubi down, and ended up back at the clearing where the two girls had been. Just as he figured, they were still there.

He ran up to them and seized Hanabi in his arms. Whirling around and drawing out a kunai, he stuck it to her throat and kicked Hinata in the gut, away from him and knocking the air out of her. She doubled over in pain. Hanabi was too frightened to say anything but she did try to push the hand with the kunai away but only succeeded in having her hand cut by Orochimaru. There was no getting out of his arm lock and she couldn't have stopped the tears even though she knew it wouldn't help. She managed to not scream.

Kyuubi ran into the clearing and stopped short of clawing Orochimaru's face when he noticed who Orochimaru had in his arms. It was a claw-me-and-she-dies threat, he knew it far too well.

Orochimaru was quite proud of himself, he had found one of Kyuubi's weaknesses. His vessel's personal feelings. Surely Naruto would never kill one of his friends. Especially if he had to live with that knowledge after the fact. 'Definitely a sannin,' he thought to himself.

Inside Naruto's mind it was chaotic.

"You can't hurt her!"

"Kit, what does it matter?"

"She's a friend and I won't let her get hurt!"

Kyuubi cursed the child for having to be so sentimental, but he knew that he couldn't kill the younger Hyuuga. He, through Naruto's eyes, too had grown fond of her as he watched her grow. Almost as if she were his own kit.

Hinata only looked on as she stayed where she was. She knew she couldn't do anything but wished that she could comfort Hanabi. She hung her head, 'I can't do anything! Even after two years, Hanabi gets in trouble and I can't do anything to help! Baka!' She began repeating this to herself, unable to stop her thoughts or her tears.

They were all so focused in themselves that none of them sensed the new presences around them.

Within moments, Hanabi was pried away from Orochimaru, Orochimaru was bound to a tree, and Kyuubi was strapped to the ground (by a multitude of different earth ninjutsus). Hinata had been pulled into a hug.

When they all realized what had happened, Orochimaru glared at Zetsu, knowing that it was he who had informed Leader-san, and at Euris who had bound him to the tree.

Kyuubi struggled but found that he was losing chakra fast. Knowing that Kisame was on his right, he gave up and refused to lose anymore chakra any quicker by calming down and regulating the chakra flow within the body.

Hanabi was still trying to calm down as Geshi continued to rock her to and fro. She searched frantically and found Hinata a few steps away and ran to her.

Hinata had been pulled into a hug by Deidara really fast before he let go and tilted her face up, making her look directly into his eyes. He searched quickly and mentally sighed as he noticed that she had restarted the looking-down-on-myself thing again. He shook his head and dropped his hand and was glad to see Hanabi come running for her sister.

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A/N: Heyo. Okay, so finally got chapter 3 up :D Hope you all liked it hehe and just want to say sorry for being so slow to update (and it'll be a while before I updated, as in I won't be regularly updating) since I'm really busy... Blech... lol, but hope you like this chapter and see you on the next one :)


	4. Woohoo an AN

Hey everyone.

This note's out to say that, as you probably guessed, this story isn't the one at the top of my list. I don't know why, I like the idea but I've just been more involved with the other one (called "Come Back to Me"). Well, one thing for sure is that this one takes a lot more time to think up original ideas (although I will probably copy some things directly from the manga -I don't follow the anime anymore-) and to plan how the story flows. So I'm sorry, this one's probably not going to be updated for a long while (especially now that school's started) but I'll do what I can when I have the time.

And well, another thing is that I was stupid and deleted all my notes/story ideas from my computer (I thought I had transferred it over but sadly, I didn't. I'm so upset because I had a LOT of stuff) so I'm kind of restarting fresh in a way. Some ideas run through my head but a lot of them are gone now. If you have any that you'd like me to put in, go ahead and tell me, I'd be happy to look at them and see if it's possible to incorporate them. But in the meantime, please bear with me as I sort my stories/ideas out. Thanks :)

Ryoko-nee


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